As the April 2011 general elections gather momentum, high level meetings between the United States and Nigeria appears to also be at top gear.
Only last week Wednesday, the Nigerian Ambassador to the United States, Ambassador Adebowale  Adefuye met at the Department of State in Washington D.C with United States under secretary for Democracy and Global Affairs, Maria Otero in meeting that was closed to the press.
BusinessWorld gathered also that sometime this week, another top bilateral meeting will hold, this time under the auspices of the U.S- Nigeria Bi-National Commission.
Findings show that the good governance and transparency working group of the commission is spear heading the meeting.
Activities of the work group focus on electoral reforms, election preparations to achieve free, fair and peaceful elections in the 2011 elections and beyond. It is also out to support efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s democratic institutions and civil society, along with working with Nigerians themselves to fight corruption.
Although details of the proposed meeting has not been made public, but it will not be unconnected with the efforts to ensure that the conduct and outcome of the April elections is internationally accepted.
Indications to this emerged last week when the Nigerian Ambassador to the United States told a public forum on Nigeria elections that “every Nigerian feels insulted for inability to have credible elections in the recent past.”
According to Adefuye, the clamor for a free and fair elections in Nigeria is so high that no group, or individual expects anything else. He indicated that President Goodluck Jonathan is very personally committed to the conduct of credible elections in the country, a factor which according to him has given the Independent National Electoral Commission a free hand to operate.
In early February, United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Terence McCulley was in Washington D.C to confer with senior Obama administration officials.
Only a week earlier, the Ambassador met with Under Secretary Maria Otero.
Maria Otero was appointed as the Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs on August 10, 2009. Her office coordinates U.S. foreign relations on a variety of global issues, including democracy, human rights, and labor; environment, oceans, health and science; population, refugees, and migration; and combating trafficking in persons. She also serves as the Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues.
Although details of discussions between the top administration official and its ambassador was not made public, but it will not be unconnected with last minutes preparations for the April general elections and the growing security concerns in Nigeria going by the rampant cases of bomb blast and religious killings across the country.